A healthy attitude to eating and drinking is contagious, but don’t
wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.
Countdown to Christmas tip – Planning is key.
If you've got lots of festive meals out planned, plan ahead and stay in control
by looking up the menu online and then using Find & Explore
on Weight Watchers esource, your shop or eat out guide or use your ProPoints
calculator to check the ProPoints
values.
Well I’m ready for the weekend –
sort of! Physically I am anyway, I’ve
had ten hours sleep which if you know I tend to get up at 5am means I was, wait
for it – in bed before 7pm, yep a whole ten minutes before. I had the perfect day yesterday once I’d done
my paperwork, I went for a full body holistic massage at the Chi Rooms in
Essington (that woman has magic fingers! And it was my first in months so even
better) followed by lunch with Lynne and Jo and we had such a giggle. We went to the Spread Eagle on Broad Lane South,
food was average to good nothing amazing but reasonably priced and it’s a nice
comfortable pub. Hark at me, I sound
like a food critic! I was so not on a
diet yesterday, but my excuse was I’m still in credit from my holiday because I
didn’t gain any weight, a full 3 courses and a baileys Irish coffee which now I’ve
sampled I’d advice you give it a miss, it’s nice but is over very quickly and
wouldn’t have been worth the ProPoints, how many pp’s mmm let me think double
bailey’s (5pp) with squirty cream (5pp) – ouch 10pp for something that lasted a
couple of minutes because it would have come cold if I’d drunk it slowly!
So if you’re thinking of
drinking, you can enjoy a festive tipple and still stay on track with your
weight loss. Real life means that sometimes you fancy a drink or two
and because the ProPoints plan fits in perfectly with real life,
the good news is you can. The key, as with everything, is moderation and
keeping track of your budget.
Wise choices will make your ProPoints
budget go that much further. There are various methods you can use to keep your
drinks under control this Christmas, which means you don't have to choose
between total abstinence or losing control of your weight loss. Here are some
tried and tested favourites:
·
You
will tend to have fewer drinks if you have long drinks. In fact, you can save ProPoints
values by choosing spirits or liqueurs and asking for them in a tall glass with
diet mixers and extra ice.
·
You
can make a glass of wine last twice as long by turning it into a sparkling
drink with some sparkling mineral or soda water added. (personally I’d rather
drink slower if it’s a good wine, but bar wine rarely is good wine so soda
improves the taste!)
·
Pace
yourself by alternating each alcoholic drink with a soft drink or water. You'll
save ProPoints values and it could help you to avoid a hangover
the next day. (why not have a jug of water on the table and save the morning
hangover too!)
·
Use the
handy cocktail cheat sheet on WW website
to compare and contrast the ProPoints values of different drinks
so you can select your tipple before you hit the cocktail bar. Or make the drinks in Decembers copy of YOUR
WEEK.
·
Remember
you've got your weekly allowance
to spend on exactly you want - and yes, that can mean wine!
·
If
you're hosting your own Christmas party, serve up some ProPoints
value-friendly options. How about mulled wine or a strawberry bellini (recipes
below). Use Find & Explore (on
WW website) to search for plenty of other ideas too.
·
Don't
bow to peer pressure if everyone else seems to be drinking. If you put ice and
a slice of lemon into your mineral water it will look like a gin and tonic
anyway.
·
If
you do drink more than you planned, just get back on track and in control of
your budget the next day. Earn some activity ProPoints values, to
compensate for any extra you spent on drinks.
·
In a
party situation where pub measures aren't being served, it can be much harder
to keep track of what you've had. Don't let anyone refill your glass until it's
completely empty.
·
If
you are going to a party, take a bottle of mineral water or diet soft drink
with you, so you aren't just relying on what is being served when you get
there. Not everyone will have diet drinks on offer, so be prepared.
·
If
you want to limit the number of outings and opportunities where you'll be drinking
alcohol, volunteer to be the designated driver.
Well there’s some advice – whether
you take it, only you can decide. I’m
off for a weekend of mayhem with my besties so I’ll let you now how I faired
with my own advice! Below are the
recipes for Bellini’s and Mulled Wine.
Strawberry Bellini (we had
bellini’s in New York – scrumptious!)
|
ProPoints® Value: 3, Servings: 8, Preparation Time: 10 min
|
||
2 tablespoons Artificial Sweetener, powdered, optional
750 ml Champagne, or Cava, (1 bottle) chilled
·
Reserve 8
strawberries for decoration if you wanna be fancy. Blend the remainder in a
food processor or blender, or use a hand-held blender to give a smooth puree.
Strain the strawberry liquid through a fine sieve to remove the pips. Add the
sweetener, if using, then chill until icy cold.
·
When ready to
serve, share the chilled strawberry mixture between 8 Champagne flutes.
Partially slice through the reserved strawberries, so that they sit on the rim
of each glass, then top up with chilled Champagne or Cava.
·
Serve immediately.
Cheers!ProPoints® Value: 3, Servings: 10, Preparation Time: 5 min
300 ml Water, (1/2 pint)
425 ml Grape Juice, (3/4 pint) unsweetened red
2 tablespoons Sugar, Muscovado, dark or light
Either;
1 teaspoons (grated) Ginger,
Root, fresh (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger) 4 individual Cloves, Whole or Ground
2 teaspoons Cinnamon, (2 sticks)
Or you can buy sachets with
the mixture already prepared from the spice section in supermarkets.
1 medium Lemon, sliced
700 ml Wine, Red, 1.25 pints
·
Put water, grape
juice, sugar, ginger, cloves and cinnamon sticks into a very large saucepan.
Heat gently until just below boiling point. Add wine and reheat gently. Do not
allow mixture to get too hot.
·
Pour into a punch
bowl or jug and serve hot.
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